Two of a Kind
by lelema
Summary: Jake from Chicago and Ella from New York meet in the summer camp. They look confusingly similar and finally realize that they are twins.
1. Prolog

**Two of a kind, a parents trap - no matter what they are called, my FF tells a similar story based on the film versions as well as the german book "Das doppelte Lottchen" by Erich Kästner.**

**The story takes place in America. Both get to know each other in the holiday camp. But the strange thing about it is that it is about boy and girl.**

**And yes there are siblings who look similar! Same hair and eye color, stature, facial features ... especially children who have not yet reached puberty still look very similar.**

* * *

They stared at each other: same facial features, the same eye and hair color. They are the same size and if they were not of different sexes, they could be clones.

"Somehow the others are right. You're the female me," he said.

"Or you are the male me," she said. They both grinned. The grin was also very similar.

"This is really crazy and I'm sorry that the others tease you about it," he said, holding out his hand to her, "I'm Jakob Halstead."

"Ella Lindsay," she said shyly and shook his hand. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. From then on they were inseparable in the holiday camp, behaving like brother and sister.

On the penultimate evening before departure, both of them were sitting on the jetty, dangling their legs in the water and eating cookies.

"You absolutely have to come for my birthday on September 22nd," Ella said. Finally she can show her mom that she has gained another friend besides her best friend. Basically, she has no friends other than her best friend. That's why she was sent to the holiday camp. Her mom didn't want her to entrench in the house for the big summer holidays.

"It's also my birthday!" Jake said perplexed.

"Really? I was born in New York," Ella said, and Jake was amazed, "Me too. My parents were on vacation in New York."

"I live with only my mom,"

"I live with my Dad," Jake laughed.

"Do you think what I think?" Ella asked.

"Twins?" Jake said unsettled and looked at his alleged sister.

Ella nodded, laughing. They used the last 24 hours extensively and researched their past. They both knew a Hank Voight from Chicago. Ella explained that it is her mother's foster father. However, she only knows him through stories, she never met him. Jake explained to his sister that Hank Voight is his father's boss and likes to act like a grandfather. Now he knows why...

"I'd love to meet Dad," Ella sighed, looking at the picture on Jake's smartphone.

"Why don't we switch? I would love to meet Mom too!"

"We look pretty damn similar, but I think our mom notices it. She works for the FBI," Ella said.

"We have to switch roles perfectly," Jake said, pulling his sister into the boys' bathroom. It was after bedtime that no one would see her.

"Put my clothes on," Jake laying down a blue shirt and dark jeans. Ella took the clothes, changed and returned to her brother.

"Now only the hair," he grinned, playing with scissors.

"No way! You don't cut my hair!" Ella shouted as her brother made a soft sign in front of his mouth.

"Only up to the chin like my hair and in the morning you don't comb your hair, but tousle it a bit. You can also wear a cap all the time. I usually do, too," Ella reluctantly gave in. She had her long hair, which was well below her shoulder, cut off by her brother.

"Okay, it doesn't look that bad," she said, admiring herself in the mirror.

Then she stared at her brother and dragged him into the girls' bathroom. There Jake put on her clothes.

"I'm not going to wear a dress or skirt," he said.

"You don't look like a girl," said Ella, "Your hair is much too short."

"You were at the hairdresser," said Jake, "Or a mean boy cut your hair short."

"Don't you think mom will see through you?" Ella asked.

"Oh, I'm wearing your clothes and when I comb my hair I look like you did before," said Jake. In fact, with hair made, he looked much more like a girl.

"Mom works a lot and she doesn't come home before the evening. I usually cook dinner." She pulled out her cell phone and showed a photo of her mother's team. She explained the names of the people Jake is likely to meet. She also told him about her best friend, her mother's typical habits, and what Jake needs to watch out for.

"Dad is a detective at the Chicago Police Department. He has strange and very different working hours depending on the case. We play soccer together and that is his team and our uncle Will." Jake jerked out his cell phone and also showed pictures. Finally, they exchanged their luggage, smartphones and names.

"So Jake have fun with Dad," Jake grinned.

"With the camouflage, Mama definitely doesn't ask you to cook, Ella," Ella grinned. She bandaged her brother's hand and forearm, who will use the excuse of hurting the hand, which is why he cannot cook.

"See you in a month!" The twins said goodbye.

* * *

**Anyone interested?**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Ella in Chicago**

* * *

Ella was standing on the platform, clutching her little fingers firmly in her brother's travel bag and looking shyly left and right. What did her father look like? Did the camouflage really work as well as in the morning at breakfast in the holiday camp? What if he sees through it and doesn't want her?

Ella wanted to cry, but she very much doubted that Jake would cry in this situation. After all, she wasn't Ella, she was Jake. She agreed to his plan. So she must now be able to leave the emotional chaos behind in Ella's life and be Jake.

"Jake!" A brown-haired man called from afar and approached.

"Daddy!", Ella was delighted, ran towards the man and wrapped her arms around him. Jay faltered inwardly. Daddy? Hug? What about the cool Jake who claims to be hugged by the dad in public is super embarrassing?

"Daddy?" He asked irritably, "Since when have you been calling me Daddy?"

"Um, we haven't seen each other for so long and yeah...", Ella shrugged and adjusted her baseball cap, "I actually mean Jay."

Jake explained that he only called his father Jay.

"Come on, you can tell me on the way if you can do math now," said Jay, reaching for the travel bag.

"Oh yeah, you'll be amazed when I take the first math exam home!" Ella grinned. Mathematics was her absolute favorite subject besides English.

"I'll take your word for it!"

* * *

On the way home they got Pizza and then they sat on the couch and ate. They watched a baseball game.

"How was the summer camp? Did you find a lot of friends?" Jay asked. Actually, he never had to squeeze the answers out of his son. Jake was usually a talkative boy and sometimes he talked too much.

"Yes," said Ella, when she noticed that her father was staring at her and apparently asking for a detailed answer, she continued, "I met really nice people and also met a very good friend. We played badminton and were often in the museum and so on."

Only afterwards did Ella realize that she was describing her free time experiences and not Jake's.

"Museum? Badminton?" Jay asked in horror. It didn't look like his son at all. Was that any new method of education from summer camp?

"Well, it was a math museum for kids. You wanted me to learn math on vacation," she said, "and we also played soccer every day and we often went swimming in the lake."

"Wow, um, that's nice," said Jay, looking intently at the television where the Cubs were playing against the Yankees.

Ella's eyes were always focused on her father. It was unbelievable for her that she met her Dad today. And he wasn't like Mom described. Because of her father hates children. He raised her brother and the small apartment was lovingly furnished. Even if it was a man's cave. The house in which they had been living for several years was the home of mom's colleagues and boyfriend that Ella didn't like.

"Jake? Is everything alright with you?"Jay asked. Ella opened her mouth, wanted to say something but didn't. Was she staring at her Dad so clearly all the time? She saw that Jay had the color of her eyes. Or did she have Jay's eye color? Slowly it got very hot, she couldn't hear her father's words anymore, she felt pale and everything pixelated in front of her eyes.

"Greater? Is everything alright with you?" Jay asked again. The boy was still staring at him as if he had seen a ghost. But then the kid passed out within a few seconds. At the very last moment Jay was able to catch his son before he hit his head on the floor. He gently laid the sweaty boy down on the floor, legs up on the couch.

"Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me?" Jay asked, gently clapping his child's cheek. Less than 10 seconds later, Ella woke up and looked around in confusion. She wanted to get up, but her father prevented it.

"Have a drink," said Jay, holding out the water bottle. Ella hesitantly picked up the bottle. She noticed that her father didn't let go of the other end of the bottle. He probably thought she didn't have the strength to hold the bottle alone.

"Can you get up? "Jay asked worried. Ella nodded, so Jay helped his son get back on the sofa.

"I'm calling Will. He should examine you," said Jay, typing on the smartphone.

"Not necessary. I have low blood pressure and then it happens every now and then,"

"Low blood pressure?" Jay asked confused and raised an eyebrow. He had Will check his son regularly. Low blood pressure had never been an issue. And Jake never fainted.

"Probably because I drank so little, or does one have nothing to do with the other?" Ella tried to save the situation.

"Are you really feeling better?" Jay asked worried. He played lightly with the thought of going to the emergency room with his son, but Jake probably didn't drink much on a hot summer day.

"Yes," She has practice fainting. It happens frequently, but a cause has never been found, or doctors in New York say it is because her blood pressure is low.

* * *

Many of her mother's colleagues were Yankee's fan like Ella. She couldn't identify with the Cubs. After all, she had never been to Chicago and therefore always stayed true to her hometown.

"Yankees will win!" Ella grinned.

"What?" He asked indignantly.

"Um, well, Yankees lead with two points," Ella tried to save the situation. However, her father put his flat hand against her forehead.

"You don't have a fever," Jay murmured.

"I think I should really go to bed," said Ella, pretending to yawn.

Jay nodded, "Good night my son!"

"Good night, Jay!" said Ella, disappearing into her room. At least it was not difficult to guess where Jake has his room because the door is overlooked with stickers.

* * *

Ella climbed into the loft bed and sank into the pillows. She sighed. Usually mom would come and kiss her good night. However, she switched with Jake and her father will definitely not give her a kiss.

When it started to thunder, she hid under the covers. She would normally scurry to bed with her mom now, but Jake would never do that. To be on the safe side, she typed him an SMS.

_Ella: if it's thunderstorm what do you do?_

_Jake: Nothing. _

_Ella: I'm scared._

_Jake: Thunderstorm is not dangerous when you are in the house._

Was that all Jake said? Was he really such a stark contrast to her? Not even her favorite cuddly toy was with her. Instead, a broken tiger cuddly toy lay next to her. The tiger had only one button eye and therefore wore an eye patch and a paw was also amputated. She was really wondering what a destructive toddler her brother was. Hopefully he didn't amputate her dolls.

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**Thank you so much for your reviews! I hope you like it so far.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Jake in New York**

* * *

Jake was nervous about the timetable. He received a text message from his mother saying that he should take the subway. In Chicago he had almost never been on the subway. His father always picked him up everywhere, if not his colleagues did.

"What a great start," Jake murmured, taking out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and trying to find the address on the timetable. It didn't help and Jake asked at the information centre. First the blue line. Get off after 3 stops and take the yellow line. After 9 stops, change to the red line and continue 4 stops.

He was very surprised where Ella just lived. New York has too many subways for its taste and after sitting initially in the wrong direction in the blue line, he arrived the house two and a half hours later.

He was standing in front of a two-family house and entered the Lindsay half of the house. The house was large and sparsely furnished, has a terrace with a garden and is divided on three floors. Kella, ground floor with open dining and living area, kitchen, bathroom and the upper floor with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms.

He quickly found Ella's room and exhaled in relief. Fortunately, not a pink unicorn room, but a sand-yellow room with white furniture and lots of photos of Ella, her family and animals on the wall.

"Ella, are you there?" A woman's voice called. A big grin spread across Jake's face. He finally met his mom. He hurried down the stairs straight into her arms.

"Mommy!" he whispered, hugging her tightly, "I missed you so much!"

"Hey my little princess," she murmured, placing a kiss on her hair and gently running her hand up and down her back, "Was it really as bad as you wrote me? I'll never send you to a camp again, I promise!"

"The camp was still great! In the end, I found a very great friend!"

"I'm very happy about that!" Erin smiled, "How about a girls' evening? We can watch your favorite film, Frozen!"

Jake immediately grimaced. Frozen? It's a girl movie! At the same moment he looked down at himself. He was basically a girl. The camouflage worked great, the clothes also fit.

"Honey, what happened to your arm?" She asked worriedly.

"I fell while playing badminton, but don't worry mom, it's not a serious injury. I just can't cook for the next few weeks," Jake said.

"Don't worry, Ella. I'll just cook then. You're doing too much in the household anyway," Erin smiled. Her little girl loved to help her from an early age and keeping a queen in order is Ella too. However, she was also surprised that Ella did not tell her anything about the injury in advance and that the holiday camp did not inform her. After all, she knew how sensitive her daughter was. In fact, Ella should have insisted that Erin hurry to her.

"Tell me you went to the hairdresser too, huh?" Erin marveled. Ella usually hated hairdressers and she doesn't like change at all. Ella needed her usual structure - even in the hair.

"You won't believe me mom, but I dared to make a change! The new Ella has become more confident," smiled Jake, "I've met so many great new friends, especially one friend who helped me a lot!"

"It's nice. It suits you, Ella!", smiled Erin, "I missed you so much!" She handed her daughter a small package, "I bought you a little gift as promised."

Jake was very happy, tore off the paper and held a red flowered dress in his hand.

"Don't you like it, darling?"

"Yes, mom! A lot! It's just that I didn't expect it, "Jake stammered.

"Put it on and then we'll have dinner at our favorite restaurant," she beamed.

Jake nodded. He returned to Ella's room, plopped into bed, and looked at the dress. It could hardly be worse!

* * *

_Jake: Say Jay really believes you are me?_

_Ella: Yes? I'm you now. Doesn't mom believe you? _

_Jake: Yes! And that's exactly the bad thing! Mom works at the FBI, Jay is a detective and they don't recognize their own children at all?!_

_Ella: Well you are me now. As long as we play our roles perfectly everything is okay._

_Jake: Mom gave you a dress! I should put it on!_

_Ella: I really want to see a photo, from the dress, if you wear it, it's okay too. You can find pantyhose in the left drawer!_

* * *

Jake sighed and put his smartphone aside. A photo of how he wears a dress? Definitely not.

"Ella!" Erin yelled.

Jake took another deep breath. He exchanged the comfortable clothes for the dress. He didn't like it at all. He put on the pantyhose and looked at the amount of different shoes on her shelf for the first time.

Sneakers, sandals, ballerinas, ankle boots - Jake sighed again. What did she need so many shoes for? He put on the white sneakers.

* * *

Jake read the menu in horror - wasn't there just fries? Pancakes? Burger? Even vegetables would be fine for once. Jake flipped through the menu - vegetarian vegan restaurant. Who the hell is going to have a meal here?

"Did you find something, Ella?" Erin asked curiously. Jake put on a mock exaggerated grin, "Oh yes. I'll take the soy burger."

Jake got almost no bite, so disgusting was the food. Somehow he had imagined everything differently. A cozy evening with his mom. He wants to get to know her without having to wear a dress or eat soy. A pizza would be nice now!

"Ella, you know we have been living with David for a long time now," she said, "David and I, we really love each other."

"Okay,"

"Is it okay for you? We would finally be a small family, as you always wanted. David really strives to be a good father."

Jake swallowed his food, coughed a few times, and looked at his mother in surprise. Whoever this David is can never replace his dad!

"Are you alright, darling?"

"Oh uh yes. It was just surprising. I'm very happy for you," he stammered around.

* * *

At home they watched Frozen. Jake already didn't like his new life anymore. Be a girl for a month, behave, wear clothes and eat soy, no thanks!

Jake turned around curiously when he saw a strange man come into the house. So this is David. The homeowner, colleague and boyfriend of his mother. Black hair, 3-day beard, tattoo on the right upper arm, muscular ...

"Hey," Erin greeted him with a kiss on the mouth, "Ella knows."

"Well Ella how was your vacation?" He asked.

"Great," Jake continued to stare at him. Somehow he doesn't like this man at all. How could his mom fall in love with him?

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

"Nothing. I'm uh, I'm tired!" Jake quickly disappeared up the stairs into his room. Should he stay here for a month? It will definitely be the longest month of his life!

* * *

**Thank you so much for your reviews!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Ella meets her family**

* * *

She went after her father excitedly. She would get to know his colleagues as well as his boss - her mother's foster father and, accordingly, her grandfather. Of course, Jake again warned her by SMS that she should neither call him grandfather nor hug him. Jake doesn't have that much to do with his father's boss. Jake also wrote that he got on very well with Kevin.

"Tell me are you nervous?" Jay grinned and saw the insecurity of his child. The boy nervously played with his hands, wriggling from one leg to the other.

"No, not really!" Ella said. Jay nodded cautiously and led his son into the bullpen.

"Yeah, Jake! There you are, bro!" Kevin rejoiced and held out his hand. It took Ella a moment to realise that he want a high five.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked stunned. Jake has never given a high five so gently and hesitantly.

"High Fives is for babies," Ella answered.

"Okay. I see. You're no longer a baby," said Kevin. Ella watched an older man who came out of a door and leaned against the door frame. Through telling her mother, she knew immediately who this man was, but she followed Jake's advice and ignored the man. But she was sure that he was watching her sternly.

"Do I have to stay here all the time now?" Ella asked. Her father picked her up from school, although in the morning she said that she could take the subway. Somehow her father was not convinced of the idea and emphasized that he would always take the time to drive his son anywhere or to pick him up. Something Ella was not used to from her mother. Since she was 8 years old, she went to school and home alone in New York. At that moment, she even felt a little bad. Her brother probably didn't know how the subway system worked.

"Jake, you know how it works. Go to the break room and do your homework."

Ella nodded and holed up in the room. She was done with her tasks in a relatively short amount of time, but she doubted that Jake would have done the tasks in half an hour. Apparently he was really a school muffle. Hopefully he didn't ruin her grades too much.

* * *

"Jay?" Ella asked, "Can I please go home? I can take the subway."

"You know the game, buddy. You stay here," said Jay, "It's not for long either. Mrs. Taylor will be back from vacation next week and can take care of you."

"Do you really think I'm causing so much chaos that I need a babysitter?" Ella asked, perplexed. She really wondered what her brother always did. After all, the teachers are very impressed with the new Jake.

"You torched the kitchen!" back then, a year ago, Jake put him in a very embarrassing position. The kitchen burned down, the 51 was about to extinguish, and Jay was allowed to hear some preaching of Chief Boden.

"Um, yes… but you also have to give me the chance to prove myself anew. I've improved, honestly! The summer camp was like a boot camp and worked wonders," Ella stammered.

"Jay, give your son another chance!" Hailey said and Jay nodded.

* * *

Ella grinned and as soon as she got home to call her father that she had arrived safely, she unpacked the groceries and prepared dinner - Ratatouille.

When Jay came home and smelled delicious food, he leaned against the wall and watched his son cooking in amazement.

"Since when have you been able to cook without the fire department?" Jay wondered.

"I attended a cooking class in the summer camp," Ella stammered.

"If the food tastes as good as it smells, you can cook every day from now on," grinned Jay, grunting the pot. However, his grin passed quickly. "Since when do you eat vegetables?" He asked curiously.

"You sent me to a summer camp. Did you seriously think there was fast food every day?"

"But there is still meat right?"

"Um, the best thing for you to do is sit down," said Ella, "I have to tell you something!"

He followed his son's request and looked at him promptly.

"I've become a vegetarian. I don't eat meat anymore."

"What?" Jay asked irritably.

"We saw an animal documentary and I'm so sorry for all the animals," said Ella.

"I really don't know if I should find the summer camp good or bad,"

"But you're not angry with me now are you?"

"No, not at all, buddy. I think it's good that you can make such decisions on your own. And you can be vegetarian, but you don't have to educate me vegetarian right?"

"Don't worry Jay. You can do something else for yourself," said Ella. At the same time, her smartphone beeped and an SMS from her brother appeared on the display.

_Jake: help! Is there really a vegetable pan every day? I hate zucchini like the plague! And there are tofu sausages! Disgusting!_

Ella laughed. She was so excited to get to know her dad that she forgot to tell her brother that she was a vegetarian and that her mom fully supported it.

* * *

_Ella: Oops! I forget! I am a vegetarian... By the way, Jake too! *Laughing Smiley*_

_Jake: Woe! Jay can't let you! *Shock Smiley* _

_Ella: Dad thinks it's great that you can make such decisions on your own._

_Jake:…_

* * *

Ella just shook her head laughing and didn't notice that Jay was looking at her.

"What is there to laugh about?" He asked curiously.

"A friend from the camp wrote to me," she said.

"No matter when you talk, you only mention the camp," grinned Jay.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Jake the Troublemaker**

* * *

"Look, Lisa bullies Zoe again," said Clara and pointed to a tall, sturdy girl. Zoe wore frayed clothes, her hair was a little tousled, but she looked very nice. Ella warned him about Lisa. She would probably bullies Ella too. Unfortunately, he was currently Ella.

"Do you like to attack smaller ones?" Jake asked.

"What do you want?" Lisa asked

"I want you to stop!"

"Oh, everyone, look here! Ella Lindsay is back from the holiday camp and has found her self-confidence! Your hairstyle is so ugly!" Lisa grinned. At that moment Jake could not hold back and hit her face hard with his fist.

"Who wants to be next?" Jake asked the bitch's friends, who suddenly disappeared.

"You'll regret that, Ella Lindsay!" She hissed.

* * *

A little later, Jake sat at the director's room and waited for his mother. In Chicago, a weekly visit to the director was nothing unusual. Hopefully Mr. Baxter was not worried that he hadn't visited him since the beginning of the new school year. Because he's pretty sure Ella hasn't been sent there yet.

"Ella, darling, are you okay? I was told you were involved in a fight!" Erin said, looking intently at her child's face after an injury. She found nothing.

"Mrs. Lindsay, your daughter broke a classmate's nose," said the director.

Erin gave a short laugh, "Not my daughter! When was she the victim again," she said.

"Mom, I'm tired of being bullied by everyone. I wanted to fight back. I know violence is not a solution, but there was simply no way out." Jake explained.

"Oh Ella, little one," said Erin, putting her arm around her child.

The director closed one eye. After all, it was Ella's first slip. No detention - nothing.

"Tell me Ella, what are you wearing?" She wondered when they went to the car. Jake wore a casual white t-shirt and black and white sweatpants.

"Don't you like it?" Jake wondered. Skirts and dresses were not necessarily his favorite clothes.

"Um, no not really. You look like a boy," Erin said. Jake stopped abruptly - damn it! He mustn't be noticed! It was of little help that girls stood on the leg side up, printed in white.

"Boys don't run around like that. They would never put on sweatpants with girls on it."

"You're going to dress properly again soon, is that clear?" that ended the discussion for Erin. They also got to the car. Jake was opening the passenger door when Erin looked at him in surprise, "I have to go back to work, but you can take the subway."

With these words she drove away. Jake sighed. Although he was now somewhat familiar with the highly complex public transport system in New York City, it was certainly not a pleasure for him. It still took him ages to find the appropriate stations and directions. How did Ella cope with that? His sister was the opposite of him! A miracle that she did not cry on the platform.

Jake sat on a bench in Central Park. For some reason every line led here. He typed a text message to his sister.

* * *

_Jake: I punched Lisa, got a new girlfriend, Zoe._

_Ella: WTF! What have you done? Mom will freak out!_

_Jake: I don't know. On the one hand, she was probably glad that you can fight back, but I think mom will find out who I am sooner or later. She hasn't believed the arm injury for days._

_Ella: Put on my new dress, then buy something to eat from an Italian. Spaghetti with pesto to take away and pretend you've cooked._

* * *

Jake sighed. Rather, he longed for his father and their fast food Friday, eating burger or pizza. Vegetarian is great, but he has such a craving for ham pizza with pineapple.

It wasn't long before Jake found an Italian bistro. He ordered a pizza to eat here and already placed his order with the pesto spaghetti to take away.

He ate his pizza with relish - how much he had missed ham. His grin passed quickly when he saw a familiar car pull up. David, his mother's friend and roommate!

"Hide me!" Jake yelled in panic to the Italian, who looked at him in confusion, "He mustn't see me!" Almost with a jump, Jake disappeared behind the counter to the Italian, Alberto. He removed the napkins from the compartment and squeezed in there. David will definitely not see him here, since he was basically sitting under the cash register.

"Hello, what do you get?" Alberto asked cheerfully with an Italian accent.

"We take the 48 to go twice," said David.

Alberto nodded, pointed to the vacant seats, and started baking the pizza.

"Psst," Jake whispered, "Alberto!" he tried to get the older Italian's attention. Alberto knelt down and looked at him promptly, "Do you have something that can be mixed in the food that is extremely spicy or causes nausea?"

"I would have a laxative," Alberto whispered.

"Perfect. Can you please mix it into the pizza of the black haired man?"

Alberto nodded and got up again, he picked up a spoon, "It fell down," he said and put it in the sink before he turned to the pizzas.

* * *

Less than 3 hours later, Jake was sitting at the kitchen table. He put on the dress Erin gave him. The kitchen looked like he had cooked. The pot and the spoons used were in the sink. The table was set for two.

"Oh Ella, I didn't expect you to cook," Erin said when she got home. Also in tow: David, who immediately disappeared into the bathroom.

"David is sick," she said.

"It's time for me to cook again, even though I don't have much time left. You know, mom, I also want to meet friends and have to learn for school, too. "

"I understand, of course," Erin smiled on the table and saw the spaghetti, "Well then, let's eat."

* * *

**Thanks for reviews :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Ella aka Jake the math genius**

* * *

"I don't quite understand if Jake didn't fight or write a bad grade why are you calling me?" Jay called his son's class teacher.

"Mr. Halstead, Jake wrote a A in math. You don't want to explain to me that he was gifted over the summer and has a A in all subjects."

"You accuse him of cheating?" Jay asked horrified.

"I just consider all the options," she said, "On the other hand, I can only report positively about your son at the moment."

"That is positive. Maybe he finally realized how important school is," Jay ended his call. Hailey looked at him in astonishment. She heard every single word.

"Jake wrote a A?" She asked in amazement. How often did she try to explain math and how often he came home with a F.

"The summer camp was worth every penny," said Jay, "He can cook, write good grades, can behave," he said.

"And is vegetarian," Hailey added, "There's a new water slide park near Chicago. We should do something together. Just the three of us. "

Jay really liked the idea. For a long time he never went on an excursion with his son.

* * *

Jay returned home immediately after work, where he saw his son sitting on the floor. Books, notes and pens spread out in front of him. It was a rare sight, if not the first sight. Jake never learned on his own will. But that wasn't the strange thing about it. Jay saw the order in the living room. A look through the crack of the door to the kitchen confirmed that even this place was clean. How long has Jake been keeping order? The boy was the Chaos King of Chicago.

Jay sat down next to him on the living room floor and picked up a note. Amazingly, this script was legible.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked curiously.

"Write a learning slip. Tuesday I'm writing a history exam," Ella didn't look up from her note.

"Oh okay," said Jay, quickly changing the subject, "Shall we go to the new water slide park at the weekend?"

Ella looked at her father in surprise. Water slide park? That sounded like a lot of fun! "Yeah, sure!", Ella was happy before she realized that she couldn't go there. She is not a boy! She can't go to the swimming pool! Her lie would be noticed at the latest! "But I can't!" she said, looking down at her notes, "I have to learn. It's going so well at school right now."

"Hey, you don't have to study all weekend because of me. I know I have often reproached you for learning harder, but that was definitely not what I meant."

"Aren't you asking for A's at all?" Ella wondered.

"Yes, no, so yes, I'm happy if you even bring home a one, but the other grades are also good."

"Deal," grinned Ella. She was surprised that her father did not ask for extraordinary performance. Even if she didn't learn, she wouldn't take F home. The lessons are sufficient for at least a C.

"So what do you say about my suggestion? Hailey is coming too."

Ella considered this. She loved Hailey very much. She is a great woman and she was really happy for her dad and brother. They were truly like a wonderful little family.

"Maybe we can go to the water slide park for my birthday?" Ella asked. The day before she would switch with her brother, and Jake will be happy.

"Yeah, sure."

Ella wondered if Jake would ever hug his dad. Probably earlier when he was little. She also wondered why he didn't call him Dad. She never liked calling her father Jay.

Reluctantly, she leaned over to her father, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her face to his chest. Jay looked at his son totally overwhelmed by the loving gesture.

"I love you," Ella whispered audibly for Jay, who raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I love you too, my son," he said softly.

After a while, she parted from the hug, "Can we invite Hailey? Movie night and eating pizza?" Ella asked.

Jay nodded enthusiastically and headed for the kitchen to call Hailey and then pizza service. Ella took advantage of the moment and typed her brother an SMS.

* * *

_Ella: Why don't you call him dad?_

_Jake: Why not? Jay is his name._

_Ella: I'm serious! How many times have you hugged Dad and told him you loved him?_

_Jake: I don't know, maybe kindergarten?_

_Ella: Did something happen between you?_

_Jake: I think I often disappoint Jay. I am not a model child like you. I am bad at school, can only cause chaos and has therefore often had arguments with him._

_Ella: So you've estranged yourself from him? Wait, can you only cause chaos? They don't touch anything in my room anymore, understand ?!_

* * *

Ella didn't get an answer. Her brother made so much nonsense, whether wanted or not, that the relationship with their father suffered. She has to change this.

Less than an hour later, both Hailey and the pizza were there. They were sitting on the couch eating pizza and watching a funny family comedy.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Erin's first doubts**

* * *

Once again he was alone at home on a Saturday morning. He also knew it from his father, but Erin was actually at work a lot more often and then also unreachable. He hardly found any food in the fridge or in the pantry. Milk and oatmeal. Yummy. If the milk was at least warm, he could eat porridge.

Jake pours milk, oatmeal and cocoa powder into a bowl with a lid. Then 5 minutes in the microwave. He then shook the bowl to make sure it was mixed well. Suddenly there was a hissing sound. The bowl burst apart in all directions. The kitchen looked like a battlefield. Milk, oatmeal and cocoa powder everywhere - on the floor, on the stove and on the cupboard.

"Oh shit!" Jake looked at his chaos. That was probably the reason why his dad had forbidden him to ccook himself. Jake brought out cleaning rags, buckets, and a mop. He has to clear up his mess before Erin comes back!

"Shit how do you clean!" Jake ran into Ella's room and got his smartphone. On YouTube, he found some videos about quick cleaning before mom came home.

Since the bucket does not fit under the tap, Jake fills the water in the bathtub. Just how much shine cleaning do you put in there? No matter. Just empty the whole package. It was only half full anyway.

Back in the kitchen, Jake diligently scrubs the floor and the kitchen cupboards.

"Looks perfect!", He proudly admired after an hour and a half cleaning the kitchen. Stove, cupboards and floor are clean.

* * *

At the same time there is a rustling at the door. Erin is coming. He quickly hiddens the cleaning supplies behind the curtain.

"Hey mom!" Jake smiled.

"Well princess," Erin greeted her daughter. Jake's laugh passed quickly when he saw David. His mother's lover. A total asshole.

"I'm just going to the bathroom for a moment," said David. Erin nodded. The moment David opened the door, the water came out of the bathtub. The bathroom is literally underwater.

"Oops," grinned Jake. It wasn't his intention that David would get soaked. Because of all the cleaning, he simply forgot to turn off the water.

Erin looked at him sternly. And as if it wasn't bad enough, Erin found remnants of his milk explosion.

"Tell me Ella what happened here?" Erin asked.

"I spilled milk and wanted to wipe it up and forgot to turn off the tap."

"You've been very forgetful lately, can that be? Now you like to forget homework," she said, "Or keep order - your room looks like a mess. Speaking of which, you are a vegetarian? You probably forgot about that recently in the steakhouse, too."

"Well, I'm not a vegetarian anymore, so what? I'm still young and in the middle of finding myself," Jake said.

"Ah, that's the reason for your bad grades?"

"Why should I learn every day. The grades aren't yet relevant anyway. Nobody asks what grade I had in 5th grade!"

"That's not the point now. I no longer recognize my daughter! You've been acting like a badly brought up boy since the stupid holiday camp!"

"Badly brought up? You are to blame for that! You are never there! You care a shit about your child," Jake shouted. Nobody offends him or his dad.

"Mariella Lindsay! You don't talk to me like that!" Erin hissed.

"In such moments I wish my father!" Jake shouted, "He would neither shout at me nor let me do child labor here! Because he's the most loving father ever!"

"You don't know your father at all! He is an asshole! He cheated on us and hates children in case you forgot!"

"My father is great! Your fucking David is an asshole!"

Erin took a deep breath. How long has Ella been saying such swear words? Let alone spoke well about her father? "Go to your room and don't show up today!" Erin hissed annoyed.

Jake nodded angrily and kicked against the curtain vigorously to make the bucket of dirty water tip over and flood the floor. His mother finally steals his sister's childhood here. Ella should constantly clean up, help, cook, do the are only 10 years old! A child doesn't do that every day!

"This is still my apartment and you little brat don't have the right to ruin my house!" David yelled.

"Leave me alone!" Jake hissed and ran up the stairs into Ella's room and locked the door. Actually, he would have expected Erin to come to his room in the next 10 minutes and try to talk to him, but that didn't happen. So Jake quietly opened the door and crept up to the top of the stairs. He listened to a hot discussion between his mother and David.

* * *

"Ella crossed her borders today!" David scolded, "This is still my house! In the last few days I have the feeling that I am living in a dump! Her things are lying around everywhere!"

"She is a child!" Erin shouted.

"Before the summer vacation she knew how to behave!" Yelled David, who was obviously not a fan of children. "Did you even look into the school flyer?" asked David. His voice was quiet. He stood behind Erin and took her in his arms. He gently placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "a boarding school? I don't know if she'll be happy there. She needs her familiar surroundings."

"I think in the past few weeks she has clearly shown that she is not as tender as she always does," said David, "we should take a look at the boarding school. I think it's great for her. Ella is at home alone, too often."

"Yes, that's right, but the boarding school is 5 hours outside of New York!" Erin said in horror.

"A rural, nice and quiet area. Perfect for children and teenagers. You see yourself how dangerous New York can be every day."

"Okay, you're right" said Erin approvingly.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Ella is looking for answers**

**Thank you so much for reviews! Please don't forget, Erin said it from the effect. Jay neither cheated on her nor hates children. Who of course watched season 4 knows the story with Abby.**

* * *

"Jay?", Ella stood in the doorway to the living room. Her father was sitting on the couch, legs on the coffee table, watching some series. Jay looked at her in surprise. Ella took a deep breath and sat down next to her father, "I want to know more about my mother. What was she like?"

Her father leaned forward, turned off the television and looked at her sadly, "Jakob, there isn't much to tell about her. She left us. The job had always been more important to her."

"Did you love her?"

"Well, yeah It was a kind of love."

"What happened back then? Why did you separate?"

"I think you'd better go back to bed," Jay said, looking at the clock - just before midnight.

"You never tell me anything about her! I have a right to know who my mom is!"

"Jakob! There is nothing to tell!"

"You are preventing me from developing into a free individual! It is important for a child to know where they come from, to know who the mother and father are!"

Jay raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at the child sitting in front of him. He can't blame his son for wanting to know more about his mother. Deep inside, Jay knew that one day the day will come when Jake will ask questions about her. Only he hadn't expected that day today. Jay sighed. Actually, he doesn't want to talk to his son about this, but lately they got on well. He can't just let the new relationship break.

"Your mother preferred to help her mom, your grandmother, Bunny. She had great talent in getting involved in illegal activities. She knew exactly how to manipulate your mother. The FBI has been investigating Bunny. Your mother didn't want her to go to jail. She made a decision against us and made a deal with the FBI," said Jay.

Ella thought about the new knowledge for a long time. She knew Bunny. She doesn't necessarily like her grandmother. When her mom had to go abroad because of her job, she lived with Bunny for two weeks. Bunny forgot about her at a rest stop. She drove on. Ella was left alone. It was only when she arrived in New York to hand Ella back to her mom that the woman only realized that she was driving on without Ella. Her mom was freaking out back then, but less than 4 months later Bunny celebrated Christmas with them. Though her mom said she never wanted to see Bunny again.

"Do you still love her?" Ella asked curiously.

However, Jay immediately shook his head, "I'm happier with Hailey. You like Hailey, don't you?"

"Yes, of course! Hailey is great!" Ella smiled. She was a little sad. Her plan to bring her parents back together broke up. On the other hand, she could understand her dad.

"Would you like to have another child?"

She noticed that her dad was looking at her in surprise. Ultimately, he nodded, "Yeah. A daughter would be nice," he smiled.

"A little sister? You know I would teach her a lot of nonsense," she winked.

"Nah, big sister," Jay grinned.

Ella looked at him speechless. Big sister? Does it mean that she is the older one? So far, she thought that Jake might be the firstborn twin.

"Big sister is no longer possible now," stated Ella. After all, Jake doesn't know anything about the existence of his twin. She noticed how her father nodded sadly. It immediately became clear to her that her father might be thinking of her - Mariella Lindsay. Whose appearance and character her father did not know. Although she was sitting next to him.

* * *

_The attempt to find a solution with the twins failed. Jay wants to actively participate in the lives of his children, including Erin, who still lived in New York with the infants. It was a coincidence that Jay even found out about the existence of his children. Hank Voight felt it necessary to inform Jay of the fact that Erin was pregnant. Against Erin's will. Now they were on trial - an unsightly custody battle. No matter if he has doubts about raising children and ever becoming a suitable father, Jay would at least try. The case was quickly clear to the judge. Two children, a mother, a father. You can just separate the babies and you're done. The decision of which child to live with which parent had to be made by Erin and Jay. Erin didn't hesitate long. She was already holding Baby Ella in her arms. It was the last time Jay saw both his former partner and daughter._

* * *

"Does my mom live in New York?" Ella knew from her brother that he only knows that he was born in New York while on vacation.

"I don't know."

"Has she never contacted you all these years to inquire about me?"

Jay shook his head and smiled sadly at his son, "She has never been interested in us."

"That isn't true, is it?" Ella cannot imagine her mom destroying her own family only because of Bunny. She is becoming more and more aware that her father was telling the truth. Her mom lied to her all these years - her father would be unable to live his own life, would be overwhelmed with children if she had been mistreated, cheated on. But Ella cannot imagine all of this. Something was bothering her father, but he's a loving man.

"Yes," said Jay.

"You put all the blame on my mom? You could have stayed with her in New York? Why did you go? You are just as guilty!", Ella could no longer pull herself together. Her mom is not alone to blame for the whole thing - she never got in touch because something happened between them. Her mom is not a mother who neglects her child so much.

"Jakob, I know you don't want to hear that, but your mom just can't take care of a child. Your mom had a big problem with alcohol and drugs. She was clean, but Bunny kept dragging her into the abyss."

"You're lying!" Ella shouted. The first tears rolled down her cheek. Her mom never took a sip of alcohol or drugs. Her father started telling a lie. Maybe everything was a lie too - maybe he didn't miss his daughter at all. He probably thought of her for the first time in 10 years.

"I don't lie. Unfortunately. Jakob, you know I'm always honest with you and you with me," said Jay, "Why are you asking so many questions about your mom? She left us!"

Ella didn't answer. She was too busy trying to control her tears.

"Jake? Are you crying?", Jay looked at his child perplexed, "You never cry!"

* * *

It was all too much for her. Ella no longer tried to hold back her tears. She ran straight to her room. She put on her shoes, packed a backpack with all the essentials, put on her jacket and disappeared. She climbed out of the window. They lived on the fourth floor, but a fire escape led directly past her window onto the street. She just wants to go home - to New York!


	9. Chapter 8

**Kapitel 8 - Jake and his mother's engagement**

* * *

"Come on," muttered Jake, waiting eagerly for his sister to answer the call. Without success. Did something happen in Chicago? So far, Ella has always answered the phone.

"Hey Jake, if you ever plan on listening to your mailbox, this is Ella. Red alert. Mom realizes I'm not you. We have to switch roles immediately!" Jake said to the mailbox.

"Ella, honey," Erin knocked gently on the door, "David and I are going out to eat. You can order a pizza."

"Mom you can't leave me alone! It's already so late!" Jake said. Even if he had no problem eating pizza, he overheard David and urgently needs to prevent an engagement. But he also understood that Erin might still be angry with what happened before.

"I'm no longer arguing with you, Ella," Erin said, leaving the room. She was definitely still mad at him. It wasn't his fault that the bathroom was under water. Jake sighed and plopped down on his bed. Why could he only wreak havoc?

His dad would punish him by cleaning up his mess. After that he would get room arrest, but after a time his dad would sit down and talk to him. Talk about what was going on. He would also emphasize that he can never be angry, even if he sometimes grabs the tone.

When he thinks about it that much, he becomes more aware of how much he has missed his father in recent weeks.

However, he cannot let his sister live under these circumstances! David is a crappy, arrogant child-hater. The engagement must be prevented. Jake immediately packed all the stuff (keys, money) in his backpack and crept down the stairs. Nobody there. He searched for clues to find out which restaurant they were going to, but found nothing.

But he knew exactly which Erin's favorite restaurant was. Jake sprinted down the street to the nearest subway station. He had no idea which line to take. He asked various passers-by, but most of them were tourists. Only after a long time did he find someone who knew the street and recommended a line to him.

Arrived at the street, Jake was horrified to find that the street was longer than expected. House number 2437? He has to go to number 31!

He stared down the long crowded street. He can hardly express his hatred of New York in words. He wants to go home - Chicago. But first he has to prevent the engagement for the benefit of his sister. So Jake ran. He made sure that he was running in the right direction again, but when he did, there was no stopping. If the sports teacher saw his sprint, he would get a A. He certainly never ran that fast.

* * *

"Ouch!", Jake banged hard on the floor. He wasn't paying attention. Instead, he ran to an intersection. The taxi driver overlooked him. Although he was not seriously injured, his ankle hurt a lot.

"Are you alright? The ambulance is on the way!" explained the taxi driver. Jake sighed, he must prevent an engagement! On the other hand, he would call Erin now, if she found out her child was in the hospital, she would immediately leave everything behind - even David.

The paramedic finally called his mother on the way to the hospital and explained that she was on the way.

Jake was in the treatment room. His laceration had to be sewn with a few stitches, his ankle x-rayed and now he is waiting for the examination results. But above all, he is waiting for his mother.

* * *

"Oh Mrs. Lindsay, right?", introduced the doctor. She was just hearing Erin inquire at the reception about her child, "Please come with me."

Erin, who was accompanied by a bad-tempered David, followed the doctor to the treatment room. However, she stopped at the door.

"Could it be that your son would rather be a girl? Please don't get me wrong, I had already had a few transgender children in the emergency room claiming to be a girl, even though they are clearly boys."

"I beg your pardon?" Erin's jaw dropped, speechless, horrified, shaken, she looked at the doctor. Ella is not a boy!

"Your son, how long has he wanted to be a girl?" asked the doctor.

It was David who now interfered, "Did they even call the right parents? Didn't you make a mistake in the number?"

"Mariella Lindsay is not your daughter or son?", The doctor just had the feeling that she had spoken a secret out, "Well, in any case, no surgery is required. The ankle should be spared in the next two weeks. Your child should definitely stay here for 24 hours for observation - just a precaution. After all, he or she has a concussion."

* * *

"Have you ever intended to let me know that this brat exists twice?" David hissed angrily.

"Ella is not a brat!" Erin snapped, "I would never have thought it possible that I would ever get to know Jakob!"

But then David made a derogatory hand gesture, turned and left the emergency room.

Erin sighed and plopped down on the bench in the hallway. She buried her face in her hands. There was little doubt - her son had been living with her for the past few weeks, only since when? If Jakob lives with her, does that mean that her little girl lives with her father in Chicago?

* * *

With her sleeve she wiped away her tears, took a deep breath and entered the treatment room. Her child was lying on the couch and had obviously been crying. She slowly stepped closer, but before she could say anything, the boy stretched out his arms for her, "Mom," he whispered, "I'm so sorry!"

"Our argument... I didn't mean it Jakob," she said, "Ella is completely the opposite of you."

"I know. I tried to be Ella, but I hate putting on girls' dresses, doing homework and studying."

"How do you even know each other?"

"Well from the holiday camp! We switched there!"

"The holiday camp has been over for 6 weeks! Just say I had the wrong child for 6 weeks and didn't notice anything?"

"You should rethink your career choice," Jake grinned.

"Does Jay know about this?"

"I don't think so!"

"You are two little cheeky monkeys!"

"Why did you separate us? We had the right to know that we exist twice!" Jake suddenly changed the subject.

"Believe me, if we could reverse it, we would do it right away! All the years I've been imagining what you could look like, what a character you would have."

"You always had the chance to tell us the truth. You never did."

"Back then, so much happened between your dad and me that we thought it would be best if we never saw each other again and each of us took a child."

"Luckily we were twins, otherwise you would probably have cut the child in half."

"Jakob! Don't say that! We were overwhelmed with the whole situation! At that time it seemed to us the best thing to separate you two. It was the biggest mistake in my life!"

* * *

"How's Ella in Chicago?" she quickly changed the subject.

"I think she likes it a lot. Jay is definitely excited about the new Jakob - the good grades, a clean apartment, good vegetarian food."

Erin laughed, and the thought that her former partner was literally fattened up by her daughter with veggie food and had no idea that he had the other child with him was even funny.

At first she was also shocked, could hardly believe it, but it made sense. All the behavior of the past few weeks - if she was honest, she knew that something was wrong with Ella, but that her son was living with her, she wouldn't have thought.

"So you two had been in contact all the time? That's why you laughed so often when you stared at your phone."

"No more! I haven't reached Ella for hours! Something must have happened in Chicago! Ella is always answering and at this late hour Jay would even have to go to the landline phone, but no one answers!" Jake expressed his concerns.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Jay and his daughter**

* * *

"Jakob!" Jay said relieved. The little lying figure on the park bench with the baseball cap and the green jacket could only be his son. Jay knelt down in front of the bench, gently ran a hand through his son's face. He was soaking wet and opened his eyes just a tiny crack.

"Dad," Ella whispered. She didn't care if Jay found out or not. She didn't want to hide anymore. In fact, she longed for her mother.

"What are you doing, huh? I was very worried. You can't just run away!" When he came into his son's room a little later to talk to him again, he saw the open window and was already imagining all the scenarios. Jakob has never fled like this before. The boy usually pouted in his room, listened to music on headphones, or played Nintendo Ds.

Jay helped his son to get up, but Ella was very weak on her feet. She has hardly eaten or drunk anything in the past few hours. In addition, her breathing wheezed a lot and the barking cough didn't make it any better. Jay put his flat hand on the child's forehead and was horrified to see Jakob glowing. He didn't hesitate for long and took his son up in his arms.

* * *

At home, he gently laid him down in his bed. On the way to the apartment, he called his brother, who will come over right after the shift.

Now he was sitting on the edge of the bed and watching his sleeping son for the first time in a long time. He noticed small changes here and there, but on the other hand Jake soon reached puberty and the boy was still growing. However, he had been thinking about when Jake had a scar on his wrist. Maybe added while playing and never told him?

Jay sighed as his smartphone rang. He couldn't use a case now. He must be there for Jake.

* * *

_"Halstead," he said when he answered the call._

_"Jay," came the voice of his former partner and girlfriend._

_"Erin," _

_"Listen, Jakob is with me in New York," Erin said._

"_Jake is here in Chicago. He's right in front of me!"_

"_Ella and Jake know each other. They switched to get to know us. It's not Jake with you, it's Ella," Erin explained. At first, she could hardly believe that she was being tricked. You work at the FBI and you don't even recognize your own child._

_"My daughter is with me and you are quite sure?" Jay asked shocked and looked down at the sleeping child in front of him. Of course, everything would make sense. The strange behavior, the good grades at school, the constant cooking, the refusal of a visit to the water slide park or even the order in the apartment._

_"You can check it out," said Erin sarcastically._

_"Not necessary. I believe you," said Jay, "she has a fever. Will comes over and looks after her."_

_"Ella has always been a sickly child," said Erin. Jay heard a hiss on the line before he heard a familiar voice, "Jay? We're really sorry we tricked you, but I really wanted to meet mom and Ella wanted to meet you. I hope you aren't angry with us and the holiday camp was great, only I still can't do math."_

_"It's alright, buddy, I'm not angry with both of you."_

* * *

They made a short call to clarify how to proceed. Erin will send Jake to Chicago and, once Ella is healthy, he will send Ella to New York on the next plane.

After the call, Jay continued to stare at his daughter. He was a cop and didn't realize he had the other child with him for over a month? He probably didn't notice because Ella is also his child.

"Ella?" Jay said and stroked her hair gently, "My little Mariella!"

She opened her eyes a little, looked at her dad and smiled.

"I can't believe it. My little girl is right in front of me." Overjoyed, a tear rolled down his cheek. He never thought it would be possible for him to get to know his daughter.

"I missed you a lot!" Jay whispered while Ella wrapped her fragile arms around the strong man.

"I love you, Ella," Jay whispered. He still can hardly believe that for 6 weeks Ella was Jakob. The two of them really switched roles perfectly.

"I love you, too, daddy!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Two of a Kind**

* * *

They were all in bed. While Jake was right next to his sister and holding her in her arms, the adults were sitting on one side of the bed. After Jakob caused major problems at the airport Erin flew with him to Chicago.

"What happens now?" Jakob asked uncertainly while clinging to his sister. After all, adults are capable of anything. They were separated right after birth and Jakob would never allow him to be separated from his sister again.

"As soon as Ella is healthy, we'll fly to New York again, but you can see each other on vacation, right, Jay?" Erin said and Jay nodded silently. He would prefer not to separate the children and keep both of them with him.

"Mom, I don't want to be separated from Jake anymore," Ella whispered.

"Ella and I stay together! You can never separate us again!" Jake hissed.

"Then I can only offer you two to come to New York with me," Erin said. Shocked, Jay looked over at her. Is he supposed to give his son away now? His eyes peered over at the twins, both of whom had a happy smile on their faces. Of course he wants his children to be happy and if they are happiest in New York he will let them go.

Now it was Jake who looked at his father and saw the sadness in his eyes. He broke away from the hug with his sister.

"I can't go to New York. My family and friends live here!" Jake realized.

"Jake, you can go if you want," Jay said.

"No, I belong to Chicago! I want to stay with you, Dad!" Jake explained. Jay thought he didn't hear right. For years he was just Jay and suddenly the 10-year-old called him Dad again. A word that he has missed a lot in recent years.

"You don't have to stay here for me," Jay said.

"But I want to see you more often than just on vacation," said Jake.

"Mom can I stay in Chicago too?" Ella asked. They all looked at the sick girl in shocked, "I really like the Intelligence. They're my family too, you know. I find them a lot better than the stupid FBI team or David," she said.

"We'll both stay here in Chicago!" Jake announced.

While Jay had a smile on his face at the thought of seeing both of his children every day, Erin was more than shocked. So far she thought Ella would like David or the FBI team.

* * *

The adults left the children alone and talked long and hard in front of the door about how to proceed.

"Can we visit Intelligence?" Jakob asked with a grin, "Ella is doing so well."

Jay looked at Erin and waited for her approval. Of course she gave in and nodded.

Both Ella and Jake used the wardrobe. Erin packed some clothes for Ella in Jakob's travel bag so that she would have proper clothes again and not have to walk around like a boy, but the twins apparently want to use their similarity and mislead the Intelligence.

* * *

Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt looked up in surprise, mouth half open, eyes wide - did she see double images? Had she had too much tequila last night? No, that cannot be true! Maybe someone took the liberty of throwing something into the coffee.

"Hello Trudy!" Ella and Jake said at the same time. Both were waiting for Jay to make the handprint and they could go up to the office. Erin stood by his side, slightly nervous. She wasn't exactly looking forward to meet her old colleagues or even Hank.

The door finally vibrated and the twins stormed up the stairs.

"Hey Jake!" Kevin rejoiced and held out his hand before pulling it back in confusion and looking at the 10 year old kids in front of him.

"Woah, wait what?" Adam looked speechless to the twins. Kim and Vanessa also turned. The children were on the top step. Hailey couldn't help but laughing. Jay called her after he found out and let her know about the incident. He needed someone to talk to - the detective could hardly imagine being tricked for over 6 weeks. Hank leaned slightly against the door and watched the spectacle.

"Jay invented cloning! Isn't that great ?! Now I've been there twice!" Jakob rejoiced, "Now I don't have to go to school anymore, now I have my twin!"

"Really?", stunned Adam looked at his colleague, who was just emerging behind the kids.

"Believe me, that wasn't the plan," Jay explained.

"How is that possible?" Kevin wondered, "How did you clone your son?"

"What?" Jay asked confused, who had no idea what Jakob had previously said.

"I think we owe you an explanation," Erin emerged from behind Jay, "at that time we had twins. I kept Ella and Jay took Jakob. In any case, the two met in a summer camp and exchanged roles - they tricked us for six weeks."

"What a coincidence," laughed Kevin, "With the thousand summer camps you have, do you send the child to the same camp?"

"It was absolutely no accident. We now know that there is a certain Hank Voight behind it," said Erin. Both Jay and she got a recommendation from the older man for the camp that was right in the middle between New York and Chicago.

Hank cleared his throat, "But it was also time for the two to get to know each other. However, I have to admit that I didn't expect them to switch roles. But unlike you, I recognized Ella on day one, where she was visiting. Especially when Jay spoke about how much Jakob changed, was good at school and would love to cook."

"Now I almost feel bad that I didn't realize it," said Jay. On the other hand, he was also grateful for the weeks. Nevertheless, it had been a good time with Ella.

"I'll start at the FBI in Chicago," Erin announced that evening. They went to the favorite Italian restaurant around the corner, "This way I can be close to you and you have the opportunity to live with both of us."

Ella and Jake thought the idea was brilliant and were really looking forward to a new start together.

* * *

**The End. **

**Well that's it with the story. I wrote it a few years ago, improved it here and there and the last chapter didn't really exist, I know I could have done more with this story, but from my side everything was written down. And what happens now, just let your imagination run wild. **

**In my imagination, Jay stays with Hailey, the children commute between the two apartments and Erin eventually finds the right friend.**

**(Unfortunately, I'm not a big Linstead fan. I'm part of Team Upstead). **

**Therefore the open end.**

**Thank you for reading it! :)**


End file.
